The present invention generally relates to a swim training apparatus, and more particularly, to an apparatus that can be used to teach, exercise and practice basic swimming skills.
There are a variety of situations where it would be desirable to have the availability of a device that can either help teach a non-swimmer proper stroking form, such as a basic freestyle stroke, or to allow a person with prior knowledge of a stroke, once learned, to practice and/or to strengthen his or her form. In many cases, particularly for a beginner, it would be desirable to allow the stroke to be learned while out of the water, to gain a basic understanding of the stroke and to develop an appropriate level of confidence prior to entering the water. It would also be desirable to allow a swimmer that has learned the basic form for a particular stroke to practice his or her form while out of the water. This would allow a trainer to better view the swimmer""s form, for purposes of improving that form. This could also be beneficial in situations where the user is a child not yet of an age or level of skill sufficient to enter a swimming pool without a significant amount of supervision.
A variety of sports training devices have been devised to facilitate the training of individuals in the exercise and practice of various swimming techniques (i.e., strokes). These devices have primarily relied upon relatively complex mechanical arrangements to define the arm and/or leg motion desired for the particular swimming stroke being practiced. Early devices often used pull-strings, rotating handles and other similar mechanisms for this purpose, and were generally found to suffer from the shortcoming that each operated to emphasize the development and practice of swimming mechanics by emphasizing and developing arm and shoulder pulling strength, or leg kicking strength. This was found to be self-limiting since swimming does not rely entirely on muscle strength, but rather is heavily reliant upon the development of proper swimming technique and the ability to develop efficient swimming habits. This was found to be particularly important for novice swimmers, especially in the case of toddlers and young children first learning to swim.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/197,084 discloses a more advanced swim training apparatus, and the subject matter of this disclosure is incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein. The disclosed apparatus operates to correctly simulate the various attributes of a correctly executed swimming stroke (e.g., a crawl or freestyle stroke) by combining a rotatable table for receiving the user with a hand track system which simulates the overall attributes of the desired stroke. The hand track system includes paired paddle systems for receiving the user""s hands during the various phases of the stroke being exercised. This, in turn, operates to guide the user""s hands and arms into their correct position during the simulated stroke while allowing the hands and arms to freely progress without interference from the operative components associated with the hand track system.
The system disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/197,084 works well to facilitate the training of more complex and advanced swimming strokes. However, such a device can in certain circumstances be more advanced than is necessary or appropriate for more basic learning experiences. An example of this would be initial training in a basic swimming technique, such as in situations where the swimmer is a novice, toddler or young child not yet possessing a level of experience or sufficient skill to enter a swimming pool without adult supervision. Accordingly, it has become desirable to develop a swim training apparatus which is more suited to such needs.
Such improvements are achieved in accordance with the present invention by providing a swim training apparatus having many of the attributes of the apparatus disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/197,084, but which has been simplified to better suit the needs of a novice, toddler or young child first learning to swim.
To this end, the swim training apparatus of the present invention is generally comprised of two shell sections defining an enclosure for housing the mechanism which will be used to facilitate the training process. The defined enclosure receives a pair of hand track systems which are connected by a cable so that the retraction of a hand grip associated one of the hand track systems automatically causes the hand grip associated the other one of the hand track systems to advance to a position which is appropriate for engagement by the opposite hand of the user of the apparatus, in an alternating fashion which simulates the basic swimming stroke. Each of the hand track systems are configured so that the hand grip which is being grasped by the user remains exposed during retraction of the hand grip (i.e., while simulating a swimming stroke), and so that the remaining hand grip is contained within the enclosure until such time as it has been advanced forward, for engagement by the user""s other hand (i.e., to simulate a subsequent swimming stroke).
As a result, the user is prompted to alternatingly and successively reach for one of the hand grips, while leaving the other hand (and arm) free to simulate the recovery portion of the swimming stroke. Moreover, potentially interfering structures are removed from the user""s field of motion, promoting safety in the course of the training process.
For further discussion of the swim training apparatus of the present invention, reference is made to the detailed description which is provided below, taken in conjunction with the following illustrations.